Chapter 48 The Fire Within

• The boardroom was silent except for the ticking of the antique brass clock on the wall. Sandra sat at the head of the table, calm on the surface but blazing underneath. Around her were executives, advisors, legal minds each of them on edge after a morning of unfolding disasters.
• Steve stood behind her, his hand resting on her shoulder. A quiet show of unity. Of defiance.
• Alana entered briskly, her laptop open in one hand. “New intel confirms it. Julius Devane has leveraged silent partnerships across our Southeast Asia distribution network. He now controls 41% of our shipping lanes.”